Netflix launches $100M fund to support underrepresented groups

Netflix Inc. will invest $100 million over the next five years to create job opportunities in the film and TV industries for people from underrepresented communities.

The Netflix Fund for Creative Equity will be distributed among external organizations and company-based programs that would provide training and job placements to upcoming content makers worldwide, according to a Feb. 26 official blog post.

The fund's launch follows a Netflix-commissioned study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a University of Southern California-based think tank, which looked into diversity and inclusion in the streaming platform's U.S. films and scripted series from 2018 to 2019.

The study found that women's representation in lead roles was almost proportionate to the U.S. population, while lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters, and characters with disabilities, were rare. The percentages of directors, writers and producers from underrepresented groups in Netflix films were also close to the benchmarks for top-grossing films.

Netflix and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative will release a report every two years until 2026 to help track the platform's progress on content inclusion, Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in the blog post.

Netflix earlier released its first "inclusion report," where it cited the need to improve its recruitment of leaders and staff from Hispanic and other underrepresented groups. The company in 2020 committed $5 million to organizations that support Black creators, youth and businesses owned by Black entrepreneurs.

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